Break
by Diana Lucifera
Summary: When a simple mistake lets Anzu to see a side to Seto Kaiba that she never knew existed, she finds herself with only one choice. Learn just a little more.
1. Perfection That Cracks

**Title:** Break  
  
**By:** Novalee Sims

* * *

Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak,  
  
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break.  
  
Macbeth

* * *

_Broken promises.  
  
Broken dreams.  
  
Broken people.  
  
Broken. It doesn't belong with High School. After all, these are "the best years of your life". The years when you're strongest. Not used up, not dried out. Just beginning to live, not ready to finish.'  
  
They don't know the meaning of hurt.  
  
Laughing girls who don't think anyone hears them, and boys who will take on the world. Hallways stuffed with children, all in their own worlds, all doing their own things. Pushing through groups of people, shoving no one in particular out of the way, complaining loudly about this teacher, or that one.  
  
Not caring. Not thinking.  
  
Living.  
  
I can't remember the last time I lived._

* * *

Anzu Mazaki skipped to school in the morning. She bounced to class and tapped happily on her desk, humming during her class work. She danced back home again after the bell.  
  
She always seemed to be happy. An aura of joy surrounded her wherever she went, and even when she was angry, she was still the nicest person anyone could think of. She always wanted to help and was always gracious to everyone.  
  
Seto Kaiba hated her for it.  
  
She didn't understand that, of course. Couldn't quite grasp the disgusted look on his face. Or why he got so angry when she talked of love or friends.  
  
But maybe it was the extra coffee she had had that morning. Maybe it was because she had soup instead of salad for lunch. Maybe that book on Marie Antoinette she'd finished last night. Maybe in was something else entirely.  
  
But Anzu wasn't feeling gracious today.  
  
He didn't deserve it anyway, the jerk! Never had she been so furious! It wasn't a big deal, really, harmless little insults. Ones she was used to. A "mutt" here, a "cheerleader" there. Nothing too big, nothing too cruel.  
  
However, today was not the day to mess with Anzu. She was just mad enough to indulge in something she was normally against. Revenge.  
  
So, when she saw the book lying on his desk, she took it. Without really thinking, she stuffed it in her sparkling, pink backpack. She decided she'd take it with her. She'd read it; turn it in to the Lost and Found. Then he'd never know. But she would and she'd be satisfied.  
  
Anzu stomped home.

* * *

_When did being broken become a good thing? I've noticed, recently, how many people are famous because they were broken people once and "fixed themselves". Or how many books are about broken childhoods, how many people claim they care "about all of the broken people out there".  
  
They say it with tears running down their faces, but there is this smile on their face. Not a smile of peace or forgiveness, though. It is the same smile they use when they talk about their wife having a baby or their newest book.  
  
If they only knew, they wouldn't smile like that. But, perhaps, they would still cry. It wouldn't matter if they did. We don't need their tears._

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_

* * *

_

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Seto was as flustered as he'd been in years. If he could remember how, he might have been panicked. After all, that book wasn't... Something that needed to get out.  
  
He hated himself, sometimes. Being a genius had its downsides. One of these was that, when an idea struck, he was powerless.  
  
The idea to write had hit him while reading through some book or other.  
  
"When you write," It had said. "Everything that is in you flows onto the page. Your writing knows you better than you do, you see."  
  
So he had started writing. It wasn't a journal, poetry, a novel, or any type of publishable literature. Just his thoughts as they hit the paper. No one needed to know his thoughts.  
  
He had to find that book.

* * *

Okay, I know it was pathetically short. But I'm sure it'll get longer.  
  
No, really! grabs Please! Be patient! No, don't leave!  
  
Well, okay. Review on your way out.  
  
Oh! I almost forgot.**DISCLAIMER:** May rabid monkeys forever play bongos on the head of any potential love interest in my life if I ever claim to own YuGiOh. I have, however, purchased Kaiba's soul off of eBay. No! Bad monkeys!I am using the Japanese names in this fic. This is because my computer doesn't do the cool slash thingy over Tea's name. Therefore, if I say that Yuugi wants some tea, you might get a horribly wrong idea. Now, if I say that Yuugi wants some anzu, you can be worried.  
  
For all of you sub deprived people:  
  
Mutou Yuugi = Yugi Moto  
  
Jounouchi Katsuya = Joey Wheeler  
  
Mazaki Anzu = Tea (not tea, darn it!) Gardener  
  
Honda Hiroto = Tristan blinks Darn it, what IS his last name? is to lazy to look it up  
  
Bakura Ryou = Duh.  
  
Kaiba Gozaburo = AKA creepy, abusive, mean type person  
  
If I remember any more you should know (that aren't PAINFULLY obvious) I'll be sure to put a note.Okay, review now. 


	2. Blood and Oranges

Yes, I am aware that my Draco/Ginny fic is nowhere near finishing. People need to stop telling me that. Or is it the voices?  
  
**DISCLAIMER:** If I owned YuGiOh, I would rename it SeToOh or maybe KaiBaOh. "Your move! Your move! Your move! Your move! Your MOVE! bum bum bum bumbumbum bum bum Kai... Bah... OH!!!"  
  
My brother gets really mad when I sing that over the real theme...

* * *

_I looked up the word "broken" in a thesaurus. It can also be said as "out of order" or" unusable", "shattered" or "ruined", "defeated" or "crushed".  
  
So, perhaps, using "broken" makes me seem steeped in self-pity. I don't really pity myself, though. How can I?  
  
Things are so much better, now. But I know that I've been broken. Is that self-pity speaking?  
  
No. It's fact. It's happened. Why else would I feel so... old  
  
And I am old. Real old._

* * *

Anzu blinked down at the blue notebook resting on her knees. What was this? Well, it certainly wasn't what she'd expected.  
  
And it couldn't be Kaiba's.  
  
Not only didn't it sound like Kaiba, it just couldn't be Kaiba. Broken? Could anyone get close enough to break him before it froze? This wasn't what she had meant to pick up. She should just close it and take it back.  
  
She kept reading.

* * *

_When did I grow so distorted? When did I forget? When did I loose myself?  
  
And who was I after all?  
  
If I can only remember... Maybe...._

* * *

"Big brother! Big brother, wake up!"  
  
Mokuba shook his Seto a little harder this time.  
  
"Come on, we'll be late!" Once again, the oldest Kaiba had worked too late. Finding Seto curled up on his made bed, fully clothed, in the morning wasn't so out of the ordinary.  
  
"Workaholic." Mokuba muttered, rolling his eyes. "Get up, Seto!"  
  
A combination of his anxious cries and the screeching alarm clock did eventually force the young CEO out of bed. For someone so smart, Seto still hadn't figured out what a reasonable bedtime could do for a person. In Mokuba's opinion, it would save everyone a lot of trouble.  
  
It would also keep Seto from complaining about the work he wanted to get done before school every morning. As if anyone who stayed up until three- o'clock in the morning could build a hard drive from scratch before EIGHT- o'clock. For goodness sake, Mokuba's brother was smarter than Einstein!  
  
But then, Einstein was the one who had to paint his door bright red to find his house.

* * *

On the other side of town, Anzu was having a hard time waking up as well. Probably because she was so worried. She couldn't seem to close her eyes all night.  
  
What would Kaiba say when he found out that she had his book? Or more importantly, what would he DO? Her bet was on ritual sacrifice to Blue Eyes but she supposed that a good, old-fashioned shooting would serve his purpose as well.  
  
In any case, she'd made up her mind. She wasn't giving it back until she had read it. She wanted to know what made Kaiba tick. Maybe she hadn't before, but, now, she had to know.  
  
She just hoped he would answer his own questions. Who was he really?

* * *

_My first memory is of my mother. I was four, she was on the phone and I wanted an orange slice. Instead of waiting for her to finish, I decided to cut the orange myself. Selecting, or course, the sharpest knife in the drawer, I set to work. The first cut I made went straight through and sliced into my palm.  
  
I didn't tell her I'd cut myself. I didn't want her to know. Instead, I stuck my hand under my shirt and went to hide in my room. Of course, it only prolonged the inevitable. In the end, I bled all over the white carpet and my father had a fit.  
  
But my mother was a kind person. She bandaged my hand, sat me on the couch, and told me she still loved me, she didn't care about the carpet.  
  
She didn't punish me for it, but even now I'm careful with very sharp knives. And the funny thing is...  
  
I don't eat oranges anymore._

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* * *

_

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"I hate Gym." Jounouchi announced. "Why do we bother? Will this help me in my future? NO!"  
  
"Well, actually, Jou" Tea looked up from her stretches. "Physical training is shown to significantly increase stamina, reflexes, and overall health."  
  
"Yeah, sure. But..." Jou pulled on the front of his Gym uniform. "Do these things have to be so scratchy?"  
  
A deep voice interrupted his rampage.  
  
"You know, mutt, if you wore it right side out it would be a little less uncomfortable."  
  
As Jou flushed and attempted fix his shirt, Kaiba's eyes swept over them. Slower that usual this time, he appeared to be looking for something.  
  
His eyes locked on Anzu's and she tried very hard not to sweat. Finally, he looked away and back at Jou, who was apparently ready to defend himself. She barely listened to their fighting today.  
  
_'He knows.'_

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* * *

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"Now, the Onin no Ran began in... what year?" The teacher surveyed the class. "Mutou?"  
  
Yuugi looked up from his doodling.  
  
"Uhhh... 1467."  
  
"Right." The teacher nodded in approval. "And what year did it end? How about... Jounouchi?"  
  
"1567?" Jou hazarded a guess.  
  
"Does anybody know? Anybody?" Kaiba, who sat to her right, looked up from his book, giving her a pointed look. "It is also called the Ten Years War. Doesn't anyone want to guess?" She glanced at Kaiba. "Anyone besides Kaiba. Anyone at all."  
  
_Chirp, chirp._  
  
"Kaiba, what year did the Onin no Ran end?" She looked bored with this. He always knew the answer anyway.  
  
"1478." He glanced back and Anzu felt like he was looking straight at her.  
  
Wait. He WAS looking straight at her. Averting her eyes, she decided that the Onin War was suddenly very interesting. Maybe she should reread the chapter.  
  
'Stop looking at me, Kaiba.'  
  
He did, but as he turned his head back to the board, he gave a little nod to himself.  
  
'Oh, he SO knows.'  
  
"So, Anzu." Honda leaned over her desk. "Do you work today?"  
  
"Mmhmm." She didn't move.  
  
"Well, want to do something afterwards?" Jou asked the top of her head.  
  
"Mm mmm. Busy."  
  
"Ooookay. Whatever." The group made its way out.  
  
"Call me when you're free Anzu!" Yuugi waved goodbye.  
  
Anzu gathered her stuff slowly. It shouldn't be to hard to avoid Kaiba. Just keep an eye out, alternate between work and home, and he would eventually forget about the book or, at least, not figure out she had it.  
  
Still expanding on this idea, she made her way out of the now empty classroom. Abruptly, she realized how futile it really was. Because, when she went to open the door, she realized that the very person she was planning on alluding was standing right in front of her. His six foot form took up the entire doorway and, as she gasped in surprise, he only raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Have a seat, Mazaki. Let's talk."

* * *

Yeah! Another chapter finished, ALREADY! I rock. Oh yeah!  
  
Thanks so much for the reviews! Response makes my muse scream, "WRITE YOU BAD-BOY OBSESSED FREAK!" which I actually like. Odd.Anyway. Tell me what you think.  
  
Come on.  
  
You KNOW you wanna. 


	3. One of the Pieces

**What the heck is this?!:** Well... :nervous laugh: It's actually the only written scene from Chapter Three. Kind of a preview chapter, you know? It's been sitting on my computer forever, and I just figured you guys would want to know what happens next. I seriously..._might_ get around to writting this soon.Wah!Gomen! Gomen, gomen, go-!

Sorry. I'm okay.

Let me also apologize for anything that looks... wierd in this chapter. I _hate_ the new update system! Why did they change it? It was fine the way it was! Arrgh! Yeah... on to the chapter.

**DISCLAIMER**: I am willing to bet my Sesshomaru nightshirt that A.) I will spend thirty bucks on manga in the next two weeks B.) It was HIRO YUI'S soul that I sold to Thaelia for a stick of gum, not Kaiba's. I wouldn't sell him! He's my TEDDY BEAR! C.) I do not own YuGiOh. Dang it.

* * *

"Do you… uh…. need something, Kaiba?" Anzu stammered. 

Kaiba smirked.

"Yes, actually, I do." He gestured to a desk. "Please, sit."

She slid into the nearest desk, cautiously. She doubted that he would try anything, but you never did know with Kaiba. He didn't LOOK like he was about to crack, but he usually didn't… before he nearly killed someone. Or nearly got himself killed.

"You see, my dear Mazaki, a personal item of mine has gone missing." He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms and looking at her expectantly. "I believe that you may know where I can find it."

"Is that so?" Anzu tried not to look as intimidated as she actually was. "And what would this item be, Mr. Kaiba?"

"A small book. It was stolen yesterday off of my desk." He examined his nails. "This monstrous example of thievery will be reported of course. I wouldn't be at all pleased if such mean spirited persons as these should be allowed to go free."

'_Hey, wait! Stolen?! Thievery?! MEAN SPIRITED?!?!'_

"You shouldn't have left it if you didn't want it taken!" Anzu huffed. "It's your fault, not…" Uh-oh. "… theirs?"

Kaiba raised his eyebrows triumphantly.

"Hmm. I don't remember telling you that I _left_ it."

He was baiting her! She'd kill him! She'd…!

'_Chill out, Anzu. You stole his book. He has every right to bait you.'_

All of a sudden, Kaiba's hand shot out and grabbed her backpack.

"Hey!" She jumped up from her desk. "Look, give that back. Your books not in there."

He finished looking through it and tossed it back to her. He glared, his voice like ice.

"I would like it back." He was ordering now, looking quite frightening. If Anzu didn't know him a little better, she might have been terrified. But now she wasn't.

"No."

"No? Why in heavens name not?!" Kaiba sputtered out.

"Because," The brunette artfully stepped around him." I'm not finished reading it yet."

Seto stood there for a moment, digesting the girl's words. How dare she? Really! She had no right to read that book! None whatsoever! She… She… She…

She was gone.

* * *

_When my mother died, I knew it. I felt it all through me. Later, they told me that I had imagined it. But even now, I don't think I believe them. _

_I felt pain. And I felt, suddenly, cold and sick. Like someone had stabbed a knife in my stomach and twisted it. Plain as day, I could hear her voice. I remembered what she had told me, just the day before._

"_Seto, when this baby is born, you'll be a big brother. You know what brothers do? They protect each other. As long as you have a brother, you'll never be alone. Don't let anyone take that away from you."_

_I never did. And I do know how important that is now. To never be alone._

_Even though she died when I was so young, of all the people in my life, I think I owe her the most. Without her, I might have let Mokuba go. I know that, if I had, I would not have only been broken._

_I would have been shattered._

* * *

'_Run, Anzu! Run for your life.'_

If she hadn't been a conscientious citizen, Anzu would have been tearing down the hall in a blind panic. She settled for a slightly faster-than-normal pace, striding at high speed towards the exit.

_'Almost there! Almost there!'_ Her hand reached out. _'Just a little more.'_

The door opened and her slipper-clad feet prepared to step out into the sunlight.

Wait.

Slipper-clad?

Crap.

Turning on her heel, Anzu forgot the no running rule. Screw "conscientious citizen".

_'I need my shoes. If I run… If I… run…'_

But there he was, leaning against the lockers. How did he even know which locker was hers? It would have been such a cool line, too, if he would've just let her go.

"Heh heh." Nervous laughter bubbled out. "Hey, Kaiba."

* * *

It _was_ an update, at any rate. I need to buckle down and write, don't I. Well, I'm under the impression that the first two chapters (and this too) really suck, so we'll see. In light of this, as of right now and until furthur notice, "Break" is on hiatus. Sorry? 

Hey! Do... umm... any of you readers like Harry Potter fanfiction? 'Cus I have been updating those! And they are way better than this. So go read! Yeah... appeasement!


End file.
